It's time to undertake a reality check and rebuild our natural coastal defences
My reasoning based on the experience of thousands of scientists was: a) if the sea came in a storm, it would destroy the buildings; b) by clearing the sand dunes, mangroves, coral reefs to raise buildings, the land would be eroded; c) as water from the water table near the beach was displaced, seawater would fill the void.
As soon as I demitted office, the hotel industry put a lot of "pressure" (which usually means it paid) on my successor who mocked the rule as "anti-industry". The CRZ went down to 300, then 200, then it became optional and then it disappeared altogether. The environment ministers found it a cash cow and as they whittled down, they kept putting in mindless conditions to show environmentalists that they meant well, like—if a sand dune has to be removed, the removing party would reconstruct it in an appropriate place. Something like removing Mt Everest to make a car park and then reconstructing it somewhere more "convenient". Over the years, the dunes and mangroves disappeared to make way for roads, industries, hotels and swimming pools.
In the aftermath of the tsunami, the scientific verdict has been unanimous—damage is greatest where beaches have been built on, dunes flattened, where ground water was pumped out and coral reefs killed. The same verdict came after the Orissa cyclone. I cannot resist saying, I told you so.
You need not wait for tsunamis or cyclones. Just take satellite pictures of all the islands and coastal areas where mangroves and reefs have been cleared—Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Gujarat—and then see how the land of India has been reduced. Look at television reports of the affected land—it is bald for the most part. A disaster waiting to happen.
Instead of spending crores on emergency compensations, let us urgently start building coastal defences in the form of mangrove replantation. The chief minister of Tamil Nadu has asked for money to build a coastal wall. The Maldives did that—it didn’t help. The only wall nature provides is coral reefs and mangroves. And the coral reefs don’t last very long unless there are mangroves to filter the water that flows into them from human settlements.
Look at the evidence provided by Pichavaram and Muthupet in Tamil Nadu. These are five villages 500 meters away from the shore. Mangroves cover the shoreline. The waves came but not a drop of water entered the villages. As Dr M.S. Swaminathan, redoubtable agricultural scientist and a proponent of mangrove regeneration, says, "The dense mangrove forests stood like a wall to save coastal communities. It acted like a shield and bore the brunt of the tsunami, saving those inhabiting the region."Mangroves are plants which live between the sea and the land where they are flooded by tides. The roots collect sediment and slow the water’s flow, preventing erosion from tidal currents. Over time, the roots accumulate enough debris to extend the edge of the coastline further out—a natural increase of land.
Mangrove forests protect land from storm winds, cyclones, waves and floods by enabling overflowing water to be absorbed into the expanse of forest. They improve water quality by filtering pollutants. Clear water washes out into the sea, allowing the coral reef ecosystem to flourish. They also produce nutrients for sea creatures. The tides carry these out to the ocean-bottom dwellers and fish. So no mangroves—no seafood for humans. Unless the fisherman has the mangroves, he cannot have the fish. We need to stabilise the shorelines and protect them from erosion, ensure a livelihood for the thousands who live on the shoreline and defend ourselves against natural calamities. Re-establishing mangrove ecosystems works for all three. Mangroves turn into forests in four years. Not only do the fishermen benefit from this forest but also from tourism.
But instead of entrusting this to the forest department, which ensures that it is an expensive failure, there should be a mangrove replenishment initiative along the rivers and coasts. Put a management person on it and get local projects started with active community involvement. If this is too cumbersome, get the army and navy involved. These are the wars they need to fight. Many governments have realised the need for mangroves. Cuba has recruited mangrove planting companies to restore thousands of hectares. The Philippines is implementing a programme of mangrove restoration along 3,000 km of shoreline. Coastal fish farmers on the Indonesian island of Java are given 4-5 hectares of land but required to plant mangroves on 20 per cent of it.
Fishing communities have been the hardest hit. Instead of restarting professions that keep them on the margins of poverty as the fish get less, why not use this opportunity to shift them to other professions? The first one could be as mangrove planters and usufruct right owner of the belt.
Some 87 per cent of our mangroves have been cut in the last 40 years—reasons range from reclaiming the land for industry and entertainment to "mosquito control"(!). The few that are left are under severe attack—in Mumbai the mangroves are being cut rapidly in spite of a citizens’ movement. Perhaps next time it will be Mumbai that is washed away.